MediaVidea

Friday, August 19, 2016

Gawker.com, 2003-2016

Univision has bought Gawker Media in for $135 million in a bankruptcy auction. It will shut down Gawker.com, the flagship website and will run the group's other websites: Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku and Lifehacker. Billionaire Peter Thiel pursued his vendetta against Gawker.com, and funded Hulk Hogan's suit against the website, and a jury awarded a $140 million settlement to Hogan, causing Gawker media to file for bankruptcy. Although, the settlement is still to be challenged in higher courts and could be reversed or reduced.

Three things I thank Gawker for:1. For 'sticking it up' the elites, for 'punching up', and for fully practicing the maxim that no one is above an investigation and the self-important should be brought down a notch or three.

2. For the good writers: Elizabeth Spiers, Choire Sicha etc left to fidn their own publishing success. I shall miss the writing of Hamilton Nolan, Sam Biddle and many other Gawker writers who provided that rare thing: Good, highly readable writing, with no pretensions. I wish them the best.

3. For putting the story ahead of the advertising budget, and refusing to Buzzfeed's model of 'lists, fluff, and sponsored writing masquerading as actual articles.' Gawker did the high-traffic sensational pieces to support the good writing elsewhere on the website, which is something other websites must follow.

Sadly, Gawker will become more famous for being a victim of a vengeful 1 percenter Peter Thiel, a cautionary tale for reporters to not antagonize the rich and the powerful.

Gawker will keep its archives online and a selection can be found here and here. I would like to hope this is not the end of news blogging.